Oaxaca (state) Voyage Tips and guide

Oaxaca (pronounced Wa-HAH-ka) is a state on the Pacific Ocean in southwest of Mexico. The state is well known for its cuisine, and its indigenous peoples and cultures. Its coast has the major resort of Huatulco and sandy beaches of Puerto Escondido, Puerto Ángel, Zipolite, Bahia de Tembo, and Mazunte. Oaxaca is also one of the most biologically diverse states in Mexico, ranking in the top three (along with Chiapas and Veracruz) for numbers of reptiles, amphibians, mammals and plants.

17°6′11″N 96°14′24″W

Map of Oaxaca (state)

The Central Valleys (Valles Centrales) of Oaxaca are three connected valleys at the center of the state:

• 17.060556-96.7252781 Oaxaca (officially Oaxaca de Juárez) – the inland capital city of great history, innovative cuisine, and lively markets. (When you hear "Oaxaca", it's not always clear if it refers to the city or the state.)
• 16.9146-96.30172 Mitla — archaeological site of the Zapotec/Mixtec religious center. Both the town and the prehistoric caves nearby are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Sierra Madre Mountains are in the north of the state:

• 17.303657-96.4473413 Capulalpam - small village with natural areas and holistic Zapotec healing. A Pueblo Magico.
• 18.14-96.794 Huautla de Jiménez — historic town of the Mazatec culture, famous for indigenous shamans willing to share psychedelic mushrooms and interesting smokeables
• 17.516667-97.4833335 San Pedro y San Pablo Teposcolula — colonial town known for its mixture of indigenous design and textures with European styles of the 16th and 17th centuries

The Pacific Coast is to the south:

• 15.666-96.5566 Mazunte – a small town with a number of pristine beaches nearby. Gorgeous Pacific beach with famous Sea Turtle Museum. Lots of Italians, and Italian restaurants in town. A stop on the Pacific Coast Backpacker Route. Popular with European, North American and Mexican tourists.
• 15.861944-97.0672227 Puerto Escondido – a prime surfing destination. Beach catering to middle class Mexican tourists, backpackers, and surfers. One of the best places to surf in Oaxaca.
• 16.169-96.5038 San José del Pacífico – a small town high in the mountains famous for its psychedelic mushrooms
• 15.926442-96.4184869 Pluma Hidalgo – cute mountaintop town between San José del Pacífico to Huatulco, known for coffee and jungle birdwatching (much in need of visitors now that it's no longer on the shortest route from Oaxaca city to the beaches)
• 15.6621-96.51174910 Zipolite – beautiful 2 km (1.2 mi) long beach, home to many Canadian and American expats, popular since the 1960s. Relaxed atmosphere with a dedicated stream of travelers from Europe and "hippie" Mexican college students following the Pacific Coast Backpacker route. Growing tourist destination for high-end travelers as well. Mexico's only official nude beach.
• 16.1825-95.19583311 Salina Cruz – Commercial port and transportation hub for Mexico's southern Pacific coast
• 15.665556-96.54361112 San Agustinillo – small fishing village "where the Sierra Madre meets the Pacific"
• 16.236389-97.29194413 Santa Catarina Juquila — famous for its diminutive statue of the Virgen de Juquila, which has been venerated since 1633

• 17.168056-96.7388891 Benito Juarez National Park — mountainous park just minutes from central Oaxaca city.
• 15.7542-96.13062 Huatulco — calm yellow-sand beaches, resorts, and ecological preserves - popular with Mexican tourists.
• 16.865519-96.2760043 Hierve el Agua — one of two calcified waterfalls in the world, where calcium in the water is deposited on a cliff to create a permanent, white waterfall.
• 18.017-97.4514 Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve — protected natural area with mountainous desert land and traces of ancient civilizations. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 17.043889-96.7677785 Monte Albán — 2,500 year old archaeological site of a Zapotec city. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 15.967103-97.6868316 Lagunas de Chacahua National Park — Fishermen village, mangroves, surf and lot of birdlife.
• 17.647221-97.136117 Santiago Apoala — Waterfalls and beautiful hikes in the Mixtec mountains.

• 17.118-96.4938 Sierra Norte — hiking trail connecting traditional Zapotec villages in the forested mountains of the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca (part of the Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range)

Oaxaca has much to be proud of. It has almost every type of ecosystem and many monuments from different epochs, including pyramids, churches and some new buildings in the capital city.

The most numerous and best known of the state's indigenous peoples are the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs, but there are 16 that are officially recognized. These cultures have survived better than most others in México due to the state's rugged and isolating terrain. Most live in the Central Valleys region, which is also an economically important area for tourism, with people attracted for its archeological sites such as Monte Albán, and Mitla, and its various native cultures and crafts.

You might not notice if you stay at the beach or within the historic capital, but Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in Mexico. Therefore, there's a great lack of public services in the whole state, and you will find a lot of roads and places in poor conditions.

• D. H. Lawrence, Mornings in Mexico. The first half of this classic collection of traveler's tales recounts the writer's sojourn in Oaxaca, while the second covers his time in New Mexico.
• Oliver Sacks, Oaxaca Journal. Written by an amateur naturalist, this delightful journal documents not only the author's quest for exotic flora but also his observations of local foods and customs.

Oaxaca is known for its linguistic diversity. Many indigenous languages are spoken in the state. The most widely spoken indigenous language in Oaxaca is Zapotec with about a half million speakers.

Fortunately, most speakers of these languages also speak Spanish, if not fluently or with an accent easily understood by Spanish speakers. The government is doing Hispanization work in indigenous communities to guarantee knowledge of Spanish by every single person in the state. However, in smaller, rural communities such as the Sierra Norte, you may find people who speak only indigenous languages. It's still common to hear indigenous people who are selling merchandise talking to each other in their native language, though they'll always address you in Spanish.

Tourists should make an effort to learn rudimentary Spanish, as not everybody working in tourist-facing businesses has good English.

Oaxaca's Xoxocotlán International Airport (OAX ^IATA) has flights from Mexico City, Cancun, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Tijuana. In addition the airport also has nonstop flights from the U.S. (Houston and Dallas).

The airport in Huatulco (HUX ^IATA) has flights from Mexico City and charter flights from Canada and the United States.

Puerto Escondido International Airport (PXM ^IATA) has daily flights from Mexico City (AICM) on Aeromexico and from Mexico City (AIFA) on Viva Aerobus.

Buses are often the most comfortable and economical way to travel through the regions of Mexico. Buses to Oaxaca from Mexico City leave from the Taxquena bus terminal (Autobuses del Sur). While bus trips to Oaxaca have a reputation for being long, arduous journeys, the opening of new highways in the early 2020s means that many bus trips take half the time they once needed.

Aerotucán flies from Oaxaca city to Puerto Escondido and Huatulco.

Local public transportation in remote communities is offered by various local business using pickup trucks, buses, and small cargo trucks. Oaxaca city has separate first class and second class bus stations, offering services to most places within the state of Oaxaca, including the coastal resorts of Huatulco, Puerto Escondido, Puerto Ángel and Pinotepa Nacional, and also long-distance services to Puebla and Mexico City as well as other Mexican locations such as Veracruz. Intercity bus services is provided by companies such as ADO, Cristòbal Colòn, SUR, Fletes y Pasajes and AU. Smaller providers provide service in vans, especially between the city of Oaxaca and the coast.

Driving in Oaxaca has historically been challenging with narrow rural roads twisting through mountainous regions, full of sharp curves and steep drops. In the early 2020s, the Mexican government initiated several new transportation projects in Oaxaca. In 2024, the Carratera Barranca Larga-Ventanilla (informally known as the "Oaxaca Superhighway") opened between the city of Oaxaca and the beaches near Puerto Escondido. With a drive time under 3 hours, the beaches are likely to lose their "off the beaten path" reputation as travelers discover how easy they now are to access. In 2025, the Carratera Mitla-Tehuantepec was opened to improve transportation to the strategic Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Be aware that as new highways open, they often come with tolls (which foreign travelers often view as a small price to pay for faster, safer roads).

Other primary highways in the state include:

• Oaxaca (city)-Cuacnopalan toll road and the Pan-American Highway, which crosses the state completely from Puebla to Chiapas.
• Federal Highway 200 hugs the coast connecting communities such as Puerto Escondido, Salinas Cruz and Huatulco with Acapulco and Chiapas.
• Federal Highway 185, also called "Transístmica", crosses the state from the Veracruz border to the coast at Salina Cruz.
• Federal Highway 125 runs from the Puebla state line along the western part of the state.
• Federal Highway 135 leads from Puebla to Oaxaca City then down to Pochutla.
• Federal Highway 175 runs from the Veracruz border to the city of Oaxaca.
• Other highways include Federal Highway 147 and Federal Highway 182.

Most tourist attractions are in the city of Oaxaca and the Central Valleys region that surrounds it. This is the cultural, geographical and political center of the state, filled with pre-Hispanic ruins, Baroque churches and monasteries, indigenous markets and villages devoted to various crafts. Its historic colonial center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (along with nearby Monte Albán).

Archaeology is a big draw for Oaxaca, which hosts ancient ruins of the Zapotec and Mixtec civilizations that date back as far as 1800 BC. Monte Albán is a 2,500-year-old capital of the Zapotec empire built atop a mountain outside Oaxaca City. The ancient Zapotec center of Mitla at the eastern end of the Central Valleys, thought to be one of the earliest places where humans developed agriculture, is noted for its unique ancient stone fretwork and abstract mosaics. Between Mitla and Monte Albán are a number of other important sites. Lambityeco was occupied from 600 BCE to 800 CE and coincides with Monte Alban. Yagul was a mountainside ceremonial center with a prehistoric cave, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town of Zaachila is known for its archeological site and weekly market.

Colonial constructions include the monasteries in Cuilapan, Tlaxiaco, Coixthlahuaca, Yanhuitlán and Santo Domingo. Churches include the Cathedral in Oaxaca and the main church of Teposcolula.

Hierve el Agua is a "petrified" waterfall, where water with extremely high mineral content falls over the side of cliffs, forming stone waterfall-like structures. Santa María del Tule is home to an enormous Montezuma cypress (Taxodium mucronatum) tree which is over 2,000 years old.

The Pacific coast, especially from Puerto Escondido to Huatulco, has sandy beaches, dolphins, sea turtles, and lagoons with water birds. Many beaches are nearly virgin with few visitors but several areas have been developed such as Puerto Escondido (popular with tourists from within Mexico), Huatulco, Puerto Ángel, Zipolite, San Agustinillo and Mazunte.

The whole state is mountainous, covered by the Sierra Madre Sur, with miles of backcountry areas criss-crossed by deep ravines. One of the best places to hike and mountain climb is the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve high up in the mountains with a desert climate that's perfect for cacti, the area's most famous type of vegetation.

Ecotourists who prefer coastal sealife can visit hundreds of miles of coastline that feature lagoons, mangroves, and isolated beaches free of resort hotels, commercial enterprises, or people of any sort. Lagunas de Chacahua National Park is known for its mangrove, birdwatching, and three species of sea turtle who hatch their young on its beaches. If you're interested in a mix of marine species and land species, head to the resort area of Huatulco, which is also a national park and biosphere reserve.

Adrenaline seekers will find lots to do, including:

• Surfing - Oaxaca's Pacific coast is famous among surfers for its laid-back beach towns and its variety of great surfing conditions. A couple of Oaxaca's most famous surf destinations are Zipolite and Mazunte, though even a non-touristic town like Salina Cruz has a surprising number of surf shops, hostals, and surf instructors (not to mention some tasty waves). Puerto Escondido attracts international surfers to Zicatela Beach, where an annual surfing competition is held.
• Caving - Oaxaca isn't known for its commercial "show caves", but there are a number of caves in its many mountains, including the deepest cave in the Americas, the Sistema Huautla in the town of Huautla. This is a wild cave that requires a permit from the local government to explore. It's about a mile deep and has more than 100 miles of mapped passageways. A serious challenge for the expert caver only.

Foodies regard Oaxaca as having the most fascinating and delicious regional cuisine in Mexico, with ingredients and cooking techniques that have been passed from generation to generation for more than a millenium. The food is tightly tied to the state's agriculture, which is unique in Mexico for relying on heritage varieties of corn, squash, tomatoes, cacao and other products that are produced locally on very small scale farms. Many of the chiles and spices used in Oaxacan dishes are unavailable outside Oaxaca. American food and travel television host Anthony Bourdain proclaimed that "as Lyon is to French cuisine, Oaxaca is to Mexican cuisine."

Like most of Mexico, corn is the staple food, with corn tortillas called blandas accompanying most meals. Black beans are preferred, but Oaxaca is in the epicenter of bean biodiversity so you may encounter many other varieties. There is a wide variety of vegetables in the Central Valleys region, fish and shellfish in the Coast and Isthmus regions and year-round availability of tropical fruit in the Papaloapan area on the Veracruz border. Epazote, pitiona and hoja santa are favored herbs.

Oaxaca is known for mole, a diverse set of savory sauces made from fruits, chili peppers and spices, thickened with nuts or seeds. Some moles take days to make involving more than 40 ingredients, featuring chili peppers such as pasillas Oaxaqueños, amarillos, chilhuacles, chilcostles, chile anchos and costeños. You will encounter the famous "seven moles": manchamanteles, chichilo, amarillo, rojo, verde, coloradito and the king of moles: negro. Don't limit yourself to these, as there are as many moles as there are abuelas in kitchens across Oaxaca.

Markets are packed with stalls operated by indigenous women selling amazing culinary creations:

• tlayudas are giant tortillas covered with refried black beans and quesillo (wrapped white cheese known elsewhere as queso Oaxaca), and topped with tasajo (dried beef) or chorizo (spiced sausage).
• tamales in Oaxaca are wrapped in banana leaves (not corn husks) and filled with chicken mole.
• chapulines (fried grasshoppers) are a widely popular snack.
• nieves (snows) are frozen sorbets flavored with any number of fruits. Especially popular is tuna, the fruit of the prickly pear cactus.

There are cooking schools in the city of Oaxaca.

There is a saying in Oaxaca, "Para todo mal, mezcal, para todo bien, también" (For everything bad, mezcal; for everything good, the same.)

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks based on the maguey plant (also known as agave) have been consumed across Mexico since early in the pre-Hispanic period. The tradition of making the distilled liquor called mezcal in the Oaxacan highlands started in the colonial period. Many varieties of maguey are grown here: most (such as espadín and arroquense) are cultivated, but tobalá is still made with wild plants. The heart of the plant is roasted in pits, imparting a signature smokey flavor, and is sometimes flavored with a chicken or turkey breast (pechuga) added to the mash. Mezcal (and not tequila) may contain a "worm," which is really a larva that infests maguey plants. The final product can be served as-is, or flavored (called cremas) with almonds, coffee, cocoa fruits and other flavors.

The town of Matatlán (officially, Santiago Matatlan) calls itself the world capital of mezcal. In many parts of the Central Valleys area, you can find small stands and stores selling locally made mezcal on roadsides.

Chocolate has had special importance here since pre-hispanic times. Aside from being a foodstuff, it was also used as medicine and even money. It is most commonly mixed with hot water, cinnamon, almonds, and sugar into a concoction called chocolate de agua, served in large bowls with a sweet bread roll.

Oaxaca is generally peaceful and tourists have few problems in popular coastal areas like Huatulco and Puerto Escondido, the city of Oaxaca, or the archaeological zones of Monte Alban and Mitla. Rural areas are also generally safe. However, crime can always be an issue and things get a bit dicey in the far western rural areas near the border with Guerrero and in the far southeast between the port of Salina Cruz and the Chiapas border. Robberies are also known to occur occasionally in Oaxaca City at night.

• Chiapas - The next state east, known for its Maya culture similar to Guatemala, especially San Cristóbal de las Casas and Palenque
• Puebla - Small state with a large colonial city, on the way to Mexico City
• Veracruz - Economically-important but less-touristy state north of Oaxaca, on the Gulf of Mexico
• Guerrero - the next state to the northwest, known for coastal destinations Acapulco and Zihuatanejo, but also for its high level of gang violence